Fluid signaling means



July 14, 1959 w. w. REED T FLUID SIGNALING MEANS Filed Aug. 31. 1956da/smjasip /iiip, WZA/lM/V/Zifl/VPEEO,

' 1N VEN TORS.

United States Patent FLUID SIGNALING-MEANS William Wilson-Reed,LosAngeles;Chlifi, and John JosejalfReedi-Flat-River, Mo.

. sApplicationAugust- 31, 1956,?Serial No; 607,501

ZClaims. "(Ck 116- 114) This invention relates'to fluid signalingmeansand moreparticularly to 'apparatus -tobe-used in connection"-Witli'fluid pressure supply lines of any character-fortrans-:Initting'information; such was awarning signal, from a central stationtoa plurality of separated'points'along the, -supply'line. Stillmoreparticularly the invention "re- "lates to -a stenchwarningsignaling'means forfiuid pres- 'sure supply lines and especially to astenchwarningsignalingmeans for compressed air supplylines feedingcompressedair throughout' mines and-industrial plants. In

mines and industrial, plantsit'isnecessary toprovide somemeans-operative :from a-central station either manually 'orautomatically f0r-warning-the workmen in theevent of someemergen'cy,suchas fire, explosion,- power-failure and the like, to"vacate-*thepremises.

The object of the present invention "is" to'provide a "stench Warning"means adapted for utility' in connection with fluid? pressure "lines"carrying air under pressure" for venti-lation or for operating pneumaticdevices throughout *themine or industrial plant.

Another'object'is' to; provide a stench-Warningmeans operative-fromacentral' station whichmeans is' adapted for utility-in'connectionwithfluid pressure supply lines "carrying" compressed air.

*A-further object is to provide a stench warning means operative from acentral station which is adapted for utility'in connection withthecompressedair supply-lines "utilized in ventilating mines and industrialplants and in operating pneumaticmachinery 'andequipment.

= Other objects will be apparent as the-invention is *more fullyhereinafter disclosed.

In accordance withthese objects .wehave devised a stench Warningsignaling means which is adapted for wide utility in connectionwithfluid-supply lines of all types :but whichwis .particularlyadapted forutility .in: connection .with ifluid. supplydines. carrying air under:pressure for operating .pneumaticmechanismssand apparatus'ior Ilforventilation .purposes tinnmineswand factories. I7he stench warningsignaling means ofthe present invention comprises in combination apressure cylinder containing a "-liquid -phase -mixturecontainingastench compound, such as a mercaptan, specifically ethyl mercaptan (C HSH) and an inert flame quenching compound, such as CCl F and CHClF andhaving an outlet opening therein normally closed by a perforable seal, amanually operative perforating valve means disposed in position over theoutlet opening for perforating the seal and to permit the liquid phasemixture to escape from the cylinder at a controlled rate and a conduitconnecting the outlet end of the perforating valve to the fluid pressuresupply line through a shut-off valve to feed the mixture passing throughthe perforating valve in its gaseous phase at a controlled rate into thefluid pressure supply line.

The main problem involved in feeding a mercaptan into a compressed airline is to do so without forming an explosive mixture of air andmercaptan. The chemical insecticides. Freons, also have been found to'h-aveiflaine quenching 2,894,478 Patented July 1.4, {1959 ice 2compounds CCIQF and CHC1F heretofore iwelllkno wn in the art and soldunder'the trademarksfFreon 12 land Freon 22, are wellknown--and.recognizedzasinertpropellants and have been variouslyutilized in' that. capacity as a propellant for a large number ofcompoundssuchas These chemical compounds, kno'wn as properties andheretofore .have been' utilize'dvincenn'ection with the projectionor'fire xtinguishing compounds in fire extinguishing devices.

"Each of these Freon eem ounds have flamequ'nching properties inmixtures-'ofair and'mercaptanswhere the relative proportions of'I'rier'captan and Freo'n compound exceed aboutl to "5. -We' have'discoverdithat when the mercaptan to Freon compohnd inthepre'sslirecylinder is at' least 1 'to 6"the mixture iniitsgaseous phase may besafetly introduced at any des'ired'rate into a low or "high. pressure'fluid pressure line cari'yingjair v\t/here'the temperatures of "the andmixtureHo-hot exceed about -100TF. As thistemperature' is rarelyexceeded in compressed .air'lines,particularly"in thoseair linesutilized for ventilation "orifor operating'pneuimatic equipment .we haveadaptedthisl to 6 mercaptan Freon mixture 'in'the stench warningsignaling means of the present invention Ja'ndin 'this mixture prefer toemploy ethyl 'mercaptan' a'nd either'Freon 12 "to Freon '22'b'utpreferably re'on22. "The chemical" and physical properties of thesecompounds arefas follows:

'Freon'12 (CCIgF is a very stable, non-toxic and relatively inert gasunder ordinary conditions. When compressed to 70 p.s.i.g. at 70 "itbecomes a liquid.

When admixed with liquid phase 'ethyl mercaptan '(C H SH) theliquidjphase mixture will dis'char'ge'in'its phase from apressurecontainer at a pressure of. about 123 p.s.i.g. at temperatureswithin the range 70"to"8l) F. This mixture is suitableto use in allfluid pressure lines carrying compressed air at a pressure of less than123 p.s.i.g. andat temperature of less than -F.,

'Ethyl mercaptan"(C I-I5SH) is a highly volatile and infiammable'liquidhaving a boiling point of 98'"F. and a flash point below 40 F. Its vaporpressure 'a'ti120" F. is 24.2 p.s.i. .At atmospheric pressure itsflimitsof flammability in air are 2.80 (lower) and 18.2 (u per) percentbyvolurne. "It is miscible in-all proportions with "either Freon '12 orFreon 22.

We have found that when the mixture of either Freon 12 or Freon 22 withethyl mercaptan contains 6 parts Freon to 1 part ethyl mercaptan themixture can be safely introduced into either low or high pressurecompressed air lines Without danger of explosion where the temperatureof the air does not exceed 100 R, which is the maximum temperatureusually present in such compressed air supply lines. For best resultsthe mixture of Freon 22 and mercaptan should be used where the airpressure in the line exceeds 70 p.s.i.g. but not over 123 p.s.i.g. andthe mixture of Freon 12 and mercaptan should be used where the airpressure in the line is less than 70 p.s.i.g.

As one specific embodiment of the invention, but not as a limitationthereof, we Will disclose the invention as it has been adapted forutility as a stench warning signaling;

means for mines. In this field of utility most mines are.

. 7 3 provided with compressed air lines extending to every part of themine. This compressed air is utilized in the mine to operate pneumaticmining machines and for ventilation and usually is fed into the supplyline at a pressure of about 100 p.s.i.g. For this field of utility Iprefer to employ the mixture of Freon 22 and ethyl mercaptan consistingof about 6 parts Freon to 1 part ethyl mercaptan.

Referring now to the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a view illustrating the invention as adapted for use in amine; and

Fig. 2 is an enlarged sectional view along plane 2--Z of Fig. 1illustrating the operation of the device.

In Fig. 1 the compressed air line P carrying air under a pressure ofabout 100 p.s.i.g. from a source not shown is indicated as feeding theair into a pipe line p down to one of the lower levels of a mine whereit supplies air through a flexible hose H to a pneumatic drill Doperated by a miner M. The air exhaust from the drill D passes out intothe mine atmosphere adjacent the miner M. There are a plurality of suchpieces of mining equipment actuated by air from the air line p in theaverage mine.

In conformity with the present invention the stench warning means of thepresent invention is mounted in a position on wall W at the controlcenter of the mine where it may be readily actuated manually in case ofan emergency and, preferably, at a horizontal lever above the horizontallever of the air line P. Cylinder C, containing approximately 100 gramsof liquid ethyl mercaptan and about 600 grams of liquid Freon 22, ismounted on the Wall W by means of a bracket B with the perforable sealedend E thereof down. A perforating valve V1 is mounted on the end B withthe perforating pin 12 thereof aligned in perforating position with theperforable seal S on the end B. A flexible conduit means F, consistingof aluminum or copper tubing, is connected at one end to the valveoutlet opening of the valve V1 by means of the fitting A1 and the otherend of the conduit means F is connected by a fitting A2 to a valve V2opening through tap T into the main air line P.

As shown in Fig. 2 the end E of the cylinder C is provided with aperforable seal S closing the opening provided therein for filling anddischarging the cylinder C. In the specific embodiment shown the seal Sconsists essentially of an exteriorly threaded plug member 10 closingthe outlet opening of cylinder C, the said plug member 10 having anaxially disposed bore passageway 11 therein adapted to permit the pin 12of the perforating valve V1 to pass freely into the passageway. The borepassageway 11 extends substantially but not entirely through the plug 10leaving a thin wall 13 at the bottom end thereof to be perforated by thepin end 14 of the pin 12 as indicated by the dotted line position 12 ofthe pin 12.

Valves V1 and V2 are each common in the art and, per se, form no part ofthe present invention except in combination with pressure cylinder C andflexible conduit F. Valve V2 is necessary and essential to thecombination of the present invention as a normally open shutoff valve inthe pressure in line P to permit an empty cylinder C to be removed andreplaced with a full cylinder C.

Valve V1 is a perforating valve of the type providing for pin 12 toadvance to perforating position when the valve is in closed position,substantially as shown in the drawings. In rest position the valve V1 isin open position and the full pressure in line P is applied onto theplug 10 to counter balance the internal pressure in the cylinder C. Toperforate the sealed end 13 of the plug 10 the valve V1 must be manuallyactuated from open to closed position and then re-opened sufliciently topermit the mercaptan-Freon mixture contained within the cylinder C tofeed into the conduit F and through valve V2 into line P at a desiredrate. At F. this specific mercaptan-Freon mixture will feed into line Pat a pressure of about 123 p.s.i.g. where the airpressure in the line Papproximates pounds and at a rate controlled by the extent to which thevalve 1 is opened manually. At higher and lower temperatures thepressure within the cylinder C will vary with the temperature increasingwith increase in temperature. The cylinder C should be located in aposition where the temperature of the cylinder does not exceed 100 F.and does not fall under 70 F.

Having hereinabove disclosed the present invention generically andspecifically and having given one specific embodiment thereof it isbelieved apparent that the invention may be widely varied withoutessentially departure therefrom and all such modifications, changes,adaptations and departures are contemplated as may fall within the scopeof the following claims:

What we claim is:

1. A signaling means for mines and the like comprising a compressed airline having an air operated tool on a terminal portion thereof, apressurized container having therein a gaseous mercaptan stench compoundsuch as ethyl mercaptan gas, conduit means interconnecting saidcontainer and said air line, and a valve means in said conduit means,whereby when said valve means is opened and the tool is in operation themercaptan stench gas will issue from said tool giving the operatorthereof an olefactory signal.

2. The signaling means of claim 1 wherein said pres surized containercontains a non-explosive mixture of said mercaptan stench compound andone of the gaseous flame quenching compounds of the group consisting ofCCI F and CHClFg.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS458,937 Blass Sept. 1, 1891 977,947 Grohs Dec. 6, 1910 2,302,336MacDonald Nov. 17, 1942 2,826,452 Le Fevre Mar. 11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS284,807 Germany June 5, 1915

